State Calls School System's Progress Adequate

District takes step toward getting off 'needs improvement' list

WEST HARTFORD — — The state this week deemed the school system as making adequate progress under the federal No Child Left Behind Act, the first time in four years.

Technically, West Hartford reached what is called "safe harbor." This provision saves districts and schools from being cited for failing to make "adequate yearly progress" as long as there is major improvement in the number of students who meet proficiency standards on the spring's Connecticut Mastery and Connecticut Academic Performance tests.

Because of struggles in math and reading among low-income, minority and special needs students, the state has long identified the district as in need of improvement under the federal school reform law. For the state to remove the district from its growing "needs improvement" list — 45 districts around the state were cited this year — West Hartford would need to make adequate progress again in 2011.

That's bad timing for educators who have tried keeping pace with No Child Left Behind.

Roughly 80 percent of students are now expected to be proficient in math and reading, and next year that standard jumps to about 90 percent. In 2014, barring reform, the benchmark is 100 percent.

"We will continue to work hard to do everything we can to have all of our students be proficient," Superintendent Karen List said Thursday. "But the 90 percent goal is a difficult goal."

The current goal proved difficult for Charter Oak International Academy, an elementary magnet school that just weeks ago received praise from List for improving test scores. Charter Oak, which has been implementing an International Baccalaureate program over the past two years, did not make adequate progress as a whole school in reading.

Among subgroups at Charter Oak, not enough Hispanic students tested proficient in reading, and low-income students did not make the target in either reading or math. Last year, Charter Oak had made "safe harbor."

"The good news is that they made great gains," List said, though not "substantial enough" to appease the law.

The Smith School of Science, Math and Technology, the district's other elementary magnet school, also failed to make adequate progress in reading among black, Hispanic and low-income students and was identified by the state as "in need of improvement." For the first time, Wolcott Elementary School also was cited for a lack of adequate progress in reading among its Hispanic and low-income subgroups.

The schools that made safe harbor this year are Duffy Elementary School, King Philip Middle School, Sedgwick Middle School and Conard High School, List said. For King Philip, which has been "in need of improvement," the safe harbor designation was the first in seven years.

Hall High School, also on the need improvement list, made adequate progress outright and could be taken off the state's list if more progress is made next year.